Recharge Your Life With Sleep

Anchor Your Body Clock

Your body has an internal 24-hour clock called your circadian rhythm. One of the simplest ways to support it is to give your body clear signals about when it is day and when it is night.

• Wake at approximately the same time each day.
• Get outside into natural light in the morning.
• Look for opportunities for daylight throughout your day.
• Gradually dim your environment in the evening.
• Make your bedroom dark at night.

Your mornings shape your nights. Bright light during the day and darkness in the evening give your body the rhythm it's looking for.

Move Your Body

Exercise is increasingly recognized as an effective non-drug strategy for supporting better sleep. Research in older adults has found improvements with several types of movement, including:

• Walking.
• Aerobic exercise.
• Resistance and strength training.
• Combined exercise.
• Yoga.

Newer research has found particularly encouraging results for strength and resistance training in older adults. You don't have to exercise specifically for sleep. Moving during the day may help you sleep at night.

Give Your Body a Landing Place

Sleep isn't an on/off switch. Create a little space between your active day and your sleeping night. There isn't one perfect bedtime routine. Experiment with something that helps tell your body the day is done.

• Dim lights.
• A warm shower or bath.
• Reading.
• Slow breathing.
• Gentle stretching.
• Prayer or meditation.
• Gratitude or loving-kindness.
• Writing down tomorrow's tasks so you don't have to carry them to bed.

Notice What's Getting in the Way

Before adding another supplement, ask: what might be getting in the way of my sleep?

• Caffeine. Could you move it earlier in the day?
• Alcohol. It may make you sleepy at first but can disrupt sleep later.
• Bright evening light. Could you dim your environment earlier?
• Long or late naps. Are they reducing your natural sleep pressure?
• Time awake in bed. Has your bed become a place for scrolling, television, working, or worrying?

Sometimes improving sleep isn't about adding something new. It's about removing something that's interfering with what your body already knows how to do.

Help Your Brain Learn: Bed = Sleep

One of the most effective behavioral principles used in insomnia treatment is surprisingly simple: strengthen the connection between your bed and sleep.

• Go to bed when you're sleepy, rather than because the clock says it's bedtime.
• Keep working, scrolling, and watching television out of bed when possible.
• If you find yourself lying awake and becoming frustrated, get out of bed and do something quiet in dim light.
• Return to bed when you feel sleepy again.
• Try not to repeatedly check the clock.

Still Struggling? Find Out Why.

Sometimes poor sleep isn't a habit that needs fixing. Something may be interfering with your sleep. Consider talking with a healthcare professional if you experience:

• Persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep.
• Loud snoring, choking, or gasping during sleep.
• Significant daytime sleepiness or morning headaches.
• Uncomfortable or restless legs at night.
• Frequent nighttime urination, pain, or reflux that wakes you.
• Hot flashes or night sweats.
• A significant change in sleep after starting a medication.

Sleep apnea is particularly important to consider as we age. In women, sleep apnea doesn't always look like the classic picture of loud snoring and extreme daytime sleepiness. Sometimes the complaint is simply poor sleep, frequent awakenings, fatigue, or insomnia.

One Small Experiment

You don't have to overhaul your life tonight. Choose one thing to experiment with.

• Get outside tomorrow morning.
• Take a walk.
• Add some strength training to your week.
• Move your coffee earlier.
• Skip the evening drink and notice what happens.
• Dim the lights tonight.
• Try a few slow breaths.
• Go to bed when you're actually sleepy.

Then pay attention.

• What helps?
• What doesn't?
• What is your body trying to tell you?